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Gentili: Come debate with us, but please remember your manners

Online comment sections are often a den of anger, outrage and recrimination, but if we all agree on ground rules, it can be a place of dialogue, too
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At Northern Life, we often debate about debate, converse about conversations, field comments about comments.

I’m talking, of course, about the comment section on our website, Sudbury.com. News sites seem to be of two minds about allowing comments on stories. Some have erred on the side of caution, and have abandoned comments altogether. As someone who spends a good portion of his day reading comments and moderating them, I can well understand why.

Between the foul language, personal attacks and direct threats, the frightening specter of Canada’s libel laws looms. But beyond the potential legal pitfalls, the sheer lack of civility that permeates public comment platforms can make them seem unfriendly places to express an opinion. Who would want to take part in a discussion that can quickly turn into a barrage of insults and outrage?

For readers with thicker skin or those who like to read comments but not participate (which is a bit like slowing down for a car wreck sometimes), comment sections remain popular. Very popular.

Still, it’s a bit of a minefield. We know certain stories will get more comments than others, just as we know certain stories will bring out the worst in people. Stories about race, immigration or First Nations issues often draw racist comments. Stories about city hall, politics or politicians draw insults, conspiracy theories and threats. 

Many other news sites have found the value of comments isn’t worth the time it takes to enforce some level of decorum. We disagree.  

But it’s also untrue that nothing worthwhile gets said down there below the story. There are genuinely thoughtful and intelligent people commenting on Sudbury.com. There are also some very funny people, very snide people and very clever people. And there are likely many others who probably won’t comment for fear of being attacked for it.

Our goal is to moderate out the wheat from the chaff, as it were, to enforce a set of rules around decorum that encourage more people to feel they can share their opinion without being attacked for it. Criticism of ideas is fine — in fact, that’s the point. By attack, I mean insults, threats and criticism of the person who expressed the thought, rather than the thought itself.

We continue to provide a comment section because we believe news sites should be a forum for people to discuss and debate the issues of the day. The only way to accomplish this, we think, is dedicated moderating. Whenever we close comments on a story or pull down someone’s comment, we’re accused of clamping down on free speech.

To that I say, you have free speech on your own social media platform and in your own life and home. When you visit ours, we expect a certain level of decorum. You know how you curse and swear around your friends, but not around your mother? Same thing.

Threats, personal attacks, accusations of criminality, foul language — these comments will be pulled. Beyond, closing comments on a story, we also, from time to time, ban people from commenting. We do it reluctantly, but sometimes it must be done.

When might that be? Two reasons: If your Facebook name is obviously not your real name, I’m sorry, but we’ll have to ban you. Continually and repeatedly breaching our comment guidelines, and ignoring warnings to toe the line, will get you banned.

Our feeling is, if we can moderate out the nonsense, it provides a more welcoming space for everyone to participate in the discussion.

Sudbury.com’s community guidelines are easily accessible on the site (you can  find them here), but if you want, I can email you a copy. Hit me up at [email protected] to get yours.

We want you to debate with us; we want to read your thoughts and opinions. All that we ask is that you respect the opinions of others and don’t call each other names. 

Pretty simple, right?

Mark Gentili is the editor of Sudbury.com and Northern Life.


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Mark Gentili

About the Author: Mark Gentili

Mark Gentili is the editor of Sudbury.com
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